Back in March, Darren Aronofsky was in talks to direct The Fighter -- a fast-tracked boxer biopic about "Irish" Micky Ward, starring Mark Wahlberg as the boxer, and Matt Damon as his trainer/brother. Although no official word has been released about the director signing on, MTV got the scoop from Marky Mark that Aronofsky is, indeed, directing it. The actor said: "I talked to him on the phone two days ago. We're going to sit down with Matt and just figure out when we can start it." That might take a little bit of scheduling magic -- each of them has some projects to work around. Aronofsky is attached to a ballet thriller called Black Swan, Wahlberg's got The Happening and The Brazilian Job on his plate and Damon will be starring in the war drama Imperial Life in the Emerald City.

Back in February, when Ryan Stewart first blogged about the project, he mentioned the sappiness in the current rewrite, which is highlighting "themes of brotherhood and redemption." However, Wahlberg is already making big claims for the film: "If it ain't gonna be like Raging Bull, then it ain't worth doing." How's that for pre-production confidence?! Statements like that always make me queasy, because as soon as you compare something to a really beloved film, expectations skyrocket. Why invoke that pressure? Wahlberg went on to say: "These guys, they have the story. Their lives are incredible. The things that they went through, and the things that they overcame and endured. It's one of those amazing stories that I hope I get an opportunity to tell in my career. It's going to be one of them gems." If only confidence was enough to make a good film. At least the talent is there to potentially back it up, and Wahlberg is there to make sure it's done right: "The whole thing is to make it look real. I want to do these guys justive. We don't want to do any over-the-top, unrealistic fight scenes." Well, if anyone can make it look harsh and real, yet appealing to the eye, it's Aronofsky. Requiem for a Dream was agonizingly beautiful, so I can only imagine what he'd do with boxing.